Bridgeton pioneer., 1887-12-08
TO AWAIT COURT.
Jones Committed for Shoot
ing Dilks.


Sprinstown, Saturday night, was
held Monday afternoon in the sum
of $500 for his appearance at court
Jones has not sufficient of this worlds
goods to furnish that sum, and it is
quite likely that until next month,
when court convenes, he will occupy
one of the little cells in the county
Jail. The panel of jurors drawn to-
day will be called upon to determine
his Innocence of intent to kill.
Annanias Dilks, the wounded man.
came up to Bridgeton from Green
wich yesterday morning, and went be-
fore Squire AIlphonso Woodruff and
swore out a complaint against the
man whom Constable Bryant had
lodged in Jail Sunday night. The rest
of the day was spent by Bryant in
serving subpGnas for witnesses. In
the afternoon the officer went to the
Jail and brought Jones down town
and gave him hearing in the office of
the Squire. The little room was
crowded with people anxious to hear
all they could of the case which came
SO near being one of murder.
Jones had changed his story some
what. In the morning at the Jail and
to Constable Bryant he had declared
his Innocence, and assured the officer
he knew nothing of the affair what
ever. So confident was he that bis
story would be believed that he gave
it out publicly that the Jail would not
see him at night But the willy negro
must have found that this story was
not one calculated to help him, as his
word would go for little when all the
other witnesses were sworn and told
the truth So when he arrived at the
office of Justice Woodruff he was will
ling to admit that the bullet which
inflicted the wound in Dilks' side, came
from his hand, but he had no intention
of hitting him, as he, fired in the air.
The Justice swore the prisoner at
the very outset, and his story was
heard first. He declared that he was
in the house, and while there heard
noise from the direction of his chicken
coop, and thinking some lovers of
poultry were making a raid, went out
to drive off the depredators. AS he
went out he heard the fellows running
away, and just to frighten them, fired
his pistol in the air. That ended his
story and knowledge of the affair.
The victim of the shot was next
sworn, and told very straight story,
which alone seemed sufficient to con-
denim the man. He said that he with
four others went to Roadstown on
Saturday night and got a gallon of
liquor in four quart bottles. After this,
they started home and went through
Springtown. The party were making
no noise; when directly in front of the
residence of David Jones, George, a
brother of the witness, was taken sick,
and was laid in the path while witness
held his head. AT this time the door
of Jones' residence was opened, and a
pistol shot was Eeard q moment after.
The bullet struck the witness in the
right side on the lower rib. When he
felt the bullet he called out: "What
you doing, you have shot me-" To this,
the man supposed to have been Jones,
replied: 'If you don't move on, 1 will
shoot you again" The witness sat in
the road after that some fifteen min
utes.
Laura Williams, a young woman, was
next sworn, and said she was sitting in
q house near Jones' residence and was
startled by u shot from a gun. She
was more terrified when she heard the
voice of man cry out: II am shot"
Ia a moment she heard voice, which
she believed to have been Jones', de
clare that IF you don't go on I'll shoot
again" She had not the courage to
go out and see what was going on.
William Frames was one of the party,
and was about one hundred and seven
ty-Gve yards from the actual scene of
the shooting He heard the shot, and
Dilks cried out he was
shot. The witness did not hear Jones
reply,an afterward assisted Dills to
arise and go to house near by.
George Diiks, the brother who was
sick, was next heard He was lying
down at the time, but distinctly re-
members seeing a form in the door
from where the shot came and heard
the shot; also what was said by Anna
Mas and the man in the doorway;
could not positively swear that Jones
was the man who fired the shot.
The most convincing and important
testimony as to the actual identifica-
ton of the man that did the shooting,
came from the witness who was next
sworn, in the person of jeremiah
Brown, who lives in part of the house
occupied by Jones. The first intima-